Data Romance: An Interview

Good Day Shifty Peoples,

Yesterday was a wonderful day. Not only did I rediscover my long-lost pog collection (If you weren’t alive in the late 80′s click here…and know that Calvin Harris doesn’t really like you) but I also finished up an great interview with Canadian electropop duo Data Romance.

~ For the sake of context, check up on my introductory Data Romance post, which surfaced via Shifty last week ~

Ajay and Amy are a pair of forward-thinking individuals, and our interview was conducted as such. Our discussions traverse topics such as art vs. music vs. film, summer life in Vancouver, recording in Los Angeles and eco-awareness. If you haven’t yet, grab their EP here, and enjoy the oncoming influx of perspective.

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RCavalier: Amy, Ajay, thank you for taking the time! Off the bat, I like to conduct my interviews differently than most…sick of answering/reading about the same questions?

DataRomance :::: Amy: Definitely. I recently learned I enjoy lighting rounds, and questions that have nothing to do with us at all ironically.

 

RCavalier: For the outsiders, what’s summer like in Vancouver: Humidity? Music Festivals? Classic adult beverages?

DataRomance :::: It’s sick. You get LA hot sun, but with super clean air and a really nice breeze. Music festivals could be a little more frequent in my opinion. I think my fav is Rifflandia which actually takes place on Vancouver Island in Victoria. Just slam a ’40 of OE on hot summer night and I’m happy.

 

RCavalier: You blur the delineation between music and art with your multi-discipline excellence. Talk a little about how being artists, and musicians, shapes the way you approach projects…

DataRomance :::: Amy: It’s our absolute favourite thing working with other artists. Our music is heavily influenced by film, art, other bands – and it’s what’s formed our sound today. Our latest video for example came from the fact that we wanted to work with dancers and a director who could create something original. Alistair Legrand (director) and The New Stylz Krew (dancers) were so amazing to work with. That project wouldn’t be as special to us if we were only looking to showcase the song. We want to be inspired by all forms of art, and vice versa if we’re lucky.

 

RCavalier: Ajay, given your family’s eco-friendly background, prioritize: Elimination of Landfills, Destruction of Consumer Culture, Implementation of More Intelligently Packaged Consumer Goods

Ajay :::: Implementation of More Intelligently Packaged consumer goods, then destruction of consumer culture, and elimination of landfills. I think if the first is done correctly, the other two kind of fix themselves. One thing my family and I disagree on is that change is more is more effective at an administrative level. If your government suddenly banned to-go coffee cups, and your only option was re-usable mugs, people would whine and bitch up a storm but they’d still suck it up and live with it.

 

RCavalier: Your self-titled EP just dropped (digitally) on the 7^th – it is powerful and emotional. How much of your personal experience shines through the writing and lyrics? I can imagine writing and recording, shooting videos and performing these memories can be exhausting if that is the case…

DataRomance :::: Amy: It can definitely be emotionally draining at times, performing or rehearsing songs that bring back emotions I’d rather forget. But at the same time I just consider it my own version of therapy. The lyrics are very personal and real to me, and I figure a little pain from bringing back memories is nothing compared to maybe connecting with someone in the audience who’s gone through the same thing.

 

RCavalier: Amy, talk a little about recording in the LA hills, was the city everything it’s made up to be? You can be brutally honest if necessary. I find muse in LA culture, but no natural beauty (as I do in my native San Francisco)…

Amy :::: Honestly I didn’t know what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised by the place. I definitely agree with you about the natural beauty, being an island girl at heart, but the people and the general vibe in LA are great. I’m not a fan of the celebrity culture, but the record shops, clothing stores and coffee shops are all pretty great. As for recording in the Hills, we pretty much locked ourselves in our house and wrote 12 hours a day. We got 17 songs out of that experience, and definitely grew as a band.

 

RCavalier: Electronic music, as a genre, is quite vast. While you’re hovering in the electro-pop sector now, you plan to experiment with other soundscapes in the future, correct?

DataRomance :::: Ajay: We’ll always be largely electronic for sure. Pop is a weird concept for a musical genre though. We definitely don’t want to start creating 11 minute songs and bore people with incredibly pretentious shit, but we certainly want to push ourselves out of our comfort zone sonically. I think our focus for the near future is to keep a cinematic undertone to whatever we do.

 

RCavalier: In a few words, if you can, describe Seb Webber (A&R guru, London native, manages multiple artists including Rusko, etc. etc.)…

DataRomance :::: I’ll answer this in Haiku form

 

 

British to the max

He believes in all his bands

Never fuck with him

 

 

 

 

 

RCavalier: Make sure you dial me in when you finalize your US tour – which will most likely be late summer/early fall, no?

DataRomance :::: Amy: Yeah the tour will most likely be late August.. We’ll keep you posted.

 

RCavalier: Enjoy yourselves some summer, a few OE 40s, and keep up the art! Great chatting with you both!

Data Romance ::::Thanks, you too! Best interview ever!

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Stay Classy.

– Cutty Cav